


The First Offer

by dexstarr



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Community: sortinghatdrabs, F/M, Gen, Slytherins Being Slytherins
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-17
Updated: 2017-06-17
Packaged: 2018-11-15 02:14:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 500
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11221158
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dexstarr/pseuds/dexstarr
Summary: The Potters defied the Dark Lord three times. This was the first offer.





	The First Offer

**Author's Note:**

> _Harry Potter_ is not mine and no profit is made from this work. Written for the LJ community [sortinghatdrabs](http://sortinghatdrabs.livejournal.com/). Challenge #73: Lily/Lucius: "Now you listen to me."

_Christmas, 1979_  
  
Lily pushes the food around on her white china plate, making mountains out of mashed potatoes and houses out of turkey slices, as if she was a child.  
  
She does not want to be here at the Ministry’s annual Christmas ball.  
  
James had insisted on coming for some unknown reason, but as soon as they’d arrived he’d scampered off. She figures her husband is hiding somewhere with Sirius, cracking jokes and making fun of the posh purebloods.  
  
_She_ is stuck at the table, with a sneering Lucius Malfoy and his ice statue of a wife.  
  
Lily hadn’t missed how his cold grey eyes had narrowed when she and James had sat down at the start of the evening. She knew he wasn’t pleased to be sitting next to rabble like her.  
  
She sees Narcissa lean slightly toward her husband and whisper something in his ear. He nods thoughtfully, and flicks his eyes to Lily again.  
  
Feeling somewhat embarrassed for playing with her food in public, Lily puts her fork down and stares back at Lucius.  
  
“Mrs. Potter.”  
  
“Mr. Malfoy.”  
  
“Your husband seems to be missing.”  
  
She forces a light laugh before replying. “James isn’t missing, Mr. Malfoy. He simply needed some air.”  
  
“I see.” Lucius strokes his chin, apparently thinking, and then says, “I have a proposition to discuss with you. I’m sure you’re capable of conveying my words to your husband.”  
  
Lily stiffens at the implied insult, then squares her shoulders and says, “What do you want?”  
  
Lucius places his left arm on the table, and Lily suddenly feels a cold trickle run down her spine. She _knows_ what’s hiding under his black velvet sleeve.  
  
“We are interested in recruiting people like yourself and your husband. People with immense potential and power.”  
  
“I know what your … employer … thinks of people such as myself.”  
  
“Allowances can be made,” Lucius replies smoothly. “Ancestry can be overlooked; surely you remember your friend Severus?”  
  
Lily’s green eyes flash as she spits, “I know what _Severus_ thinks about _Mudbloods_.”  
  
Lucius holds up his hands. “A bad example, perhaps. But—”  
  
“No,” she says shortly. She’s had enough — it’s time to find James and go home. She doesn’t see Lucius glare at her as she flounces away from the table.  
  
She’s walking toward the stairs when a hand grabs her wrist and pulls her into a dark hallway.  
  
“Now you listen to me,” Lucius says, quietly. “You simply don’t turn us down, little Lily.”  
  
Her heart is hammering, but Lily says calmly, “We aren’t interested in your side, Malfoy. We never will be.”  
  
“What are you doing with my wife?”  
  
Lucius lets go of her wrist and backs away. “We were just speaking about … business.”  
  
James perfectly mimics Lucius’s tone of seconds earlier when he says, “Now you listen to me, Malfoy. You can take your ‘business’ elsewhere.”  
  
“You’ll regret this. You don’t defy us.” Malfoy’s eyes are glittering like frozen ice, anger clear in his demeanor.  
  
“I doubt that. Let’s go home, Lily.” 

**Author's Note:**

> This fic was originally written in September 2010. It was the winner for that week at [sortinghatdrabs](http://sortinghatdrabs.livejournal.com/).
> 
> Come visit me on [tumblr!](http://galacticcoyote.tumblr.com/)


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